The Consequence of Fixture Congestion: Player Withdrawals

Following England Captain Harry Kane's slamming of 9 England players withdrawing from the squad for the final 2 UEFA Nations League Group matches, the debate over fixture congestion and international breaks comes to light again.

In this article, I look at the reasons for one of the most intense seasons for fixtures for footballers in the sport's history. The article discusses a plethora of reasons, including what can be done to protect footballers from injuries and why players are deciding to withdraw from international squads.

Withdrawing like Cash from an ATM

With 9 withdrawals from the England squad, Kane commented "It's a shame this week, obviously. It's a tough period of the season and maybe that's been taken advantage of a little bit. I don't really like it if I'm totally honest. England comes before anything and any club situation".

The England withdrawals included Aaron Ramsdale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden and Jarrad Branthwaite. Indeed, some of these players were legitimately injured, but the international breaks have also become a new way for players to "fake" injuries to be able to have longer to recover.

England have not been the only national side to have withdrawals. Most notably, Kylian Mbappé faced backlash after he withdrew from France's squad last international break, frustrating French fans. Interestingly, the frenchman was not called up to this international break's squad.

Whilst withdrawals can provide amazing opportunities for new players to join the fray, such as exciting prospect Morgan Rogers who was called to play for England this week, the topic does beg the question why players are doing this so frequently. Especially, when playing for your country should be an honour, arguably being something you put first before playing for your club, the pinnacle of any player's career.

The question is: why are players doing this more and more frequently? Is it out of their control or for selfish reasons?

Fixture Congestion: Risk vs Reward

I believe that there are several reasons why players might be withdrawing from squads more often in the current football climate. Firstly, since COVID, football appears to have been on catch up to return to speed. The pandemic placed world football on hold, as teams struggled through isolations, vaccinations and contaminations. Now it appears that things are back to up to speed but, like the rest of society, things have certainly not been the same.

Secondly, profit has become the main focus instead of passion in the modern game. The Nations League and the new European Cup Competitions are prime examples of 2 organisations, FIFA and UEFA, aiming to make as much money as possible by increasing the amount of games played.

In my opinion, the UEFA Nations League is an attempt to make international friendlies worthwhile. The competition is very limiting and does not get anywhere close to the importance and excitement of the Euros and World Cup. Whilst Euros and World Cup qualification games are imperative to any nation, the Nations League feels dry and pointless. Honestly, I'd much rather the international breaks for Nations League was removed and replaced by the standard domestic schedule. This would allow teams to have longer breaks between games, reducing the likelihood of injuries.

Conversely, the new UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League format completely removes the drama of the group stage matches. Now, teams can aim to win enough games to meet the points threshold early on that will ensure they qualify for the next round, rather than continuing to be part of the groups that could go down to the wire. But, for UEFA, more games = more money.

The graph below shows what huge competitions bring in for UEFA and FIFA. This is linked with FIFA potentially looking at having a football World Cup every 2 years. But this is another conversation for another day.

Thirdly, the Nations League and international friendlies (not connected to major international tournaments) represent very little worth for the more established national team players. For instance, Phil Foden sees little value for playing for England this break, specially since he knows that provided he is fit and in good form for Manchester City, he'll be selected for the England squad for the next major tournament.

Players are now weighing up whether it is worth it playing in minor/pointless international games. This allows them to sometimes "fake" injuries to stay with their club and recover better, preparing them nicely for the next game ahead.

This can even stretch to completely removing yourself from the international setup altogether in order to focus on your club career. Aston Villa's Leon Bailey is a prime example of this. The winger has not played for Jamaica since 2023, highlighting his need to focus on his club career first before playing for Jamaica again. Bailey is back in the Jamaica squad now, but the 1 year international hiatus is certainly interesting, having a positive effect on his career without a doubt.

International Withdrawals: A New Trend Forming?

Whilst I feel many players understand the privilege of playing for their country, I do feel that withdrawals during certain international breaks depending on the importance of the games may become more popular, particularly if fixture congestion does not improve.

It is certainly something that shouldn't be encouraged, but a tactic which is justifiable, given the current state of football which is accruing injuries on an alarming scale. The global footballing bodies have to prioritise player well-being over profits, before a large majority of players become injured at one time, which could be a devastating blow to many teams.